Cracking the “Shōgi” Glass Ceiling: Satomi Kana’s Historic Bid to Break into the All-Male Professional Ranks

Satomi Kana plays a match in the forty-eighth Joryū Kishi Meijin series at the Kansai Shōgi Kaikan in Osaka on February 24, 2022. (© Kyōdō)

A smiling Satomi flashes three fingers during a press conference on December 23, 2013, at the Kansai Shōgi Kaikan in Osaka after becoming the first woman to attain the third dan. (© Jiji)

Satomi, left, faces off against teenage prodigy Fujii Sōta during the preliminary round of the Hulic Cup Kisei Tournament at the Kansai Shōgi Kaikan in Osaka on August 24, 2018. The match, which Fujii won, drew broad media attention. (© Jiji)